Also, Apple had some horrible times in the 90s. They only survived because they had a nice amount of cash when shit started to broke down. IIRC they went from 3

Also, Apple had some horrible times in the 90s. They only survived because they had a nice amount of cash when shit started to broke down. IIRC they went from 30 billion to 4 billion in quite a short time and Apple was literally on the brink of bankruptcy (I believe Steve Jobs said in an interview that Apple had about a month left when the Microsoft deal came through). I think it's fine for a company to have a nice amount of cash ready in case of some big setbacks. Especially since Apple seems willing to take huge gambles these days to enter new markets (iPod, iPhone, iPad and soon the Apple-designed TV I'm sure). And I think Apple needs these gambles to succeed, because eventually competitors will eat away profits at the lower ends of the "older" markets, slowly taking a bigger piece of the pie. I don't think most stock holders are that much interested in the company or it's products but would rather make a quick buck. The interests are different. And spending money on stockholders would mean having less money to spend on the company. I don't see what Apple could gain, except perhaps some goodwill from stockholders. I truly believe the Apple designed-TV will come either this year or next year and I also think this TV will revolutionise the market. I can imagine Siri being used instead of a remote control, for example (Steve Jobs had said he had gripes with the remote control). Once Apple enters this market, I think there's a very good chance Apple's stock prices will rise like crazy again. Stockholders will be able to sell the stock with huge gains.